


Timeless Love

by BeccaAnne814



Series: Bucky Barnes x Reader Series [11]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 20:18:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13220439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaAnne814/pseuds/BeccaAnne814
Summary: YN has finally met the love of her life.  The problem is – it's a long distance relationship.  She lives in Washington D.C., and he's in Brooklyn, NY.  There's also one other minor detail – he's from 1943 and she's from 2012.  Can the two of them find a way to transcend time to be together?  This two part mini-series is loosely based off of the movieThe Lake House.





	1. Part 1

YN took one last look around the apartment she'd called home for the past two years. After years riding a desk, S.H.I.E.L.D. was finally promoting her to a field agent. She'd been approached while she was at MIT by Agent Coulson, and at first she had been skeptical. Once she'd seen the facilities where she'd be training, she made up her mind on the spot. A career in the FBI was what she'd been aiming for, but S.H.I.E.L.D. would be even better. Her new title meant a move to D.C., and opportunity to actually get in on some of the action.

She trotted down the creaky old staircase and fitted her key into the mail slot by the front door. It was an outdated notion, but she'd decided to write a letter to the next tenant of the tiny Brooklyn apartment that she'd grown to love over the years. She just hoped the next person to live in the cozy space enjoyed it as much as she had.

 

* * *

 

"Whaddaya think, Stevie?" Bucky asked as he swept his arm across the empty space he and his best friend now called home.

"It's kinda small," Steve said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I didn't have a lot of time to look, ya punk," Bucky complained, nudging his friend with his shoulder.

Steve gave his friend a chagrined look as he set his small suitcase by the door. "I'm sorry, Buck, I really am, but you couldn't just expect me to sit by and let Mr. Anderson keep wailing on his wife every night."

"You were just trying to do what's right," Bucky admitted as he walked to the window to look out onto the street below before turning back to Steve. "Next time, just call the cops."

Steve nodded his head in agreement and Bucky told him to make himself at home while he went back down for the rest of their belongings. Steve protested, but Bucky assured him that he had it covered, and he didn't want Steve to have another asthma attack climbing up and down the stairs.

While Bucky was down in the lobby grabbing a few boxes, he decided to take a peek in the mail box. It never hurt to take a look. Surprised to find something, he pulled out the long, white envelope. It was addressed to "New Tenant," and listed the address he now shared with Steve. Tearing open the flap, he quickly read the single sheet of paper enclosed.

 

* * *

 

_Dear New Tenant,_

_Welcome to Brooklyn! I've lived in apartment 310 for the past two years, and it's been the best experience of my life. I'd love to stay here forever, but work is transferring me to Washington D.C., so I must leave. Helpful hint – Mrs. O'Malley next door in 312 makes excellent cookies, so make sure you befriend her. I've filed a change of address with the post office, but you know how unreliable they can be. If you wouldn't mind, I'd greatly appreciate it if you forward any mail that the post office misses. Thank you and enjoy the apartment!_

_YN YLN_

_3738 D St SE_

_Apt. 3C_

_Washington, DC 20019_

_P.S. Sorry about the window sill – the initials were already there when I moved in._

Bucky read through the letter again, a little confused. Since when did working women start living by themselves? As far as he knew, they mostly stayed in the boarding houses. Another thing that bothered him was her reference to Mrs. O'Malley in 312. He'd met the tenant in 312 when he'd come to look at the place the day before, and unless Mrs. O'Malley was a forty-some year old dock worker who smoked three packs a day, YN YLN was greatly mistaken about her neighbor.

Tucking the letter into his back pocket, he grabbed the boxes and started up the stairs. He'd check out the window sills, and if he couldn't find the initials she referred to, he'd write her back to let her know she had the wrong apartment, and she should contact the right tenant to get her mail forwarded.

 

* * *

 

YN hadn't been in D.C. for a week before she got a letter from he new tenant in her old apartment. Curious as to why they would be writing to her, she ripped open the letter in the lobby of her building.

_Dear Ms. YLN,_

_I think you must be mistaken about what apartment you were in. There is no Mrs. O'Malley in 312 – a Mr. Rizzoli lives there, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't bake cookies. There aren't any initials carved into any of our window sills, either. Maybe you lived a floor below in 210?_

_I also have another question – how is it that a seemingly single dame was able to rent an apartment on her own? I've never heard of such a thing, especially with the ladies' boarding house just down the street._

_Respectfully yours,_

_James Barnes_

YN couldn't believe her eyes as she kept rereading the letter over and over again. She began muttering to herself on the elevator, "'How is it that a seemingly single woman was able to rent an apartment on her own?' I don't know, maybe because it's 2012 and there's a thing called women's rights."

She was fuming by the time she unlocked her door. Grabbing a note pad from the table by the door, she began writing as fast as she could. How dare he assume that she was some weak-willed woman who was incapable of taking care of herself? She was an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and she was more than qualified to handle any situation that came her way.

Finishing up her letter, she went to her desk for an envelope and a stamp. Checking the name on the letter, she quickly wrote the address and promptly headed back downstairs to drop the letter in the outgoing mail slot.

There was a part of her that was furious that this whole encounter was happening through snail mail, and she would have to wait days to get his response. Why didn't she think to leave him her e-mail address as well?

 

* * *

 

Bucky hadn't really expected to hear back from her, so he was surprised when he came home from his shift at the garage a few blocks away and found a letter from her waiting for him in the mail box. Anxious to read what she'd written, he opened the letter and began to read as he climbed the steps to his shared apartment with Steve.

_Dear Mr. Barnes,_

_I'm entirely positive that I lived in apartment 310 for the past two years, and as for how I was able to rent it as a single woman – it's 2012 and women having been living on their own for decades. I'm not sure what to tell you about your neighbor, though. The only thing I can think of is that Mrs. O'Malley moved out right after me and your Mr. Rizzoli moved in right before you. I'm not sure why Mrs. O'Malley wouldn't have told me she was moving, too, but maybe something happened to her and it was a last minute decision._

_As for the initials, you should check again. It's carved on the window sill in the bedroom, and it says SR + BB._

_I hope this clears things up for you,_

_YN YLN_

Bucky furrowed his brow as he read her letter. Surely, she couldn't have meant that it was the year 2012? That would be impossible, wouldn't it?

"Hey, Steve," Bucky called out as he opened the door and began looking for his friend. "You won't believe this letter I just got."

Bucky found Steve in the bedroom they shared, sitting at the window with a pocket knife. Steve glanced up with a guilty look and tried to hide the knife behind his tiny frame.

"What are you doing?" Bucky asked, a feeling of dread falling over him. When he'd read the initials in her letter, he'd thought for a moment she was playing some kind of prank on him. If Steve were carving those initials into the window sill right now, it either had to mean that this woman really was from the future, or, more likely, that Steve was in on the joke.

"Nothing," Steve lied.

Bucky walked over to the window and looked down at what Steve had carved. Sure enough, it was the initials SR + BB. A weight seemed to fall onto his shoulders and he took a seat on his twin bed and buried his face in his hands.

"What are you playing at, punk?"

Steve gave his friend a confused look. He'd never seen him looking so upset about something as trivial as carving something into a piece of wood. "I don't know what you mean, Bucky."

"Are you and this dame trying to drive me crazy?"

"Dame?" Steve asked, even more confused than before. "What dame?"

Bucky threw the letter at Steve, who struggled to catch it. He didn't wait for Steve to read it – he got up from the bed and went into the kitchen to get a beer.

Steve came up behind Bucky as he sat at the kitchen table, and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I swear I don't know this woman, and I would never do anything like this to you."

Bucky looked up from his beer and narrowed his gaze at his best friend. "Then how do you explain it?"

"I don't know," Steve said, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe she really is from 2012, and somehow you're able to communicate with her through these letters."

Bucky shook his head and took a swig of his beer. "That's impossible, Steve."

"Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. Write to her again and find out for sure."

Steve left the kitchen and went back to the bedroom to get his sketchbook. Bucky sat at the table with his beer and tried to decide what to do. Giving in to his curiosity, he grabbed a sheet of paper and began to write.

 

* * *

 

YN checked her mailbox every day, twice a day, hoping for a reply to her letter. She couldn't believe that she'd already gotten so attached to her new pen pal, but when she saw that familiar handwriting on the envelope, she felt like a kid on Christmas morning again.

_Dear Ms. YLN,_

_I'm not sure if this is a joke, or if you're completely crazy, but it's 1943. I came into the apartment today to find my roommate carving our initials into the window sill just where you said they'd be. I accused him of playing a prank on me, but he denied it. He's a horrible liar, so I believe him._

_Is it really possible that we're living in two different times, and if so, how are we able to communicate? Is it magic, or just destiny that we should meet like this?_

_Respectfully yours,_

_James Barnes_

"1943?" YN asked aloud in the empty elevator. "He's got to be pulling my leg."

She flipped the envelope over in her hand to check the postmark, but there wasn't one there. Brooklyn was over two hundred miles away, there was no way his letter could have gotten into her mailbox without being sent by the post office.

Thinking it might just be a mistake, she rushed into her apartment and found the other letter he'd sent to her. No postmark on that one either. Sitting down on the edge of the couch, she ran a hand over her face and tried to wrap her mind around what was happening.

Coming up with an idea, she pulled out her phone and did a quick Google search. Finding what she needed, she wrote him another letter. Just as she was about to seal it shut, she glanced over at the newspaper she picked up to read on the Metro that morning. Tearing off only the name of the paper with the date – she didn't want to chance fate by revealing too much of the future - she stuffed it into the envelope and went back downstairs to place it in the outgoing box. She hesitated for a moment before going over to her box and opening it up – just in case. When she found it empty, she let out a sigh and headed back to her apartment.

 

* * *

 

 

"I got another letter," Bucky announced as he threw open the apartment door.

"What did she say?" Steve asked, trying to read over Bucky's shoulder.

_Dear Mr. Barnes,_

_I'm not sure if this is really happening or not, but I swear I live in the year 2012. I've enclosed a piece of newspaper that shows the date as proof that I'm not lying. If you're really living in 1943, then send me a newspaper clipping with the date attached, and I'll believe you._

_I've also checked the envelopes and there's no postmark on my letters from you. Is there a postmark on yours?_

_YN YLN_

"Is there really a newspaper clipping that says 2012?" Steve asked as he stood on his tiptoes to peer over Bucky's shoulder.

Bucky opened the envelope a little more and found the piece of grey newsprint. He stared at the date for a moment before handing it over to Steve. "I'll be damned. Either she's really from the year 2012, or she's spending a lot of time and effort to make it seem that way."

Steve turned the newspaper over in hands, still marveling at the thought of Bucky's pen pal being from the future. "Are you going to send her the newspaper clipping she asked for?"

Bucky flipped the envelope over in his hands and checked for a postmark. Sure enough, there wasn't one there. "I'll do one even better," he told Steve with a sly grin. "I'm going to send her the whole paper."

 

* * *

 

 

YN hadn't figured she'd hear from James since she didn't really believe his story that he was from 1943, so she was shocked to find another letter from him the next day.

_Dear Ms. YLN,_

_I received your last letter, and I must admit, the newspaper clipping seems to suggest that you really are from the future. I did as you asked and checked the postmarks on my envelopes from you, and just like your letters from me, there isn't one. I'm not sure how this is happening, but it seems to me that maybe you and I were meant to meet._

_Since there's no postmark on the letters, I figured it wouldn't hurt to just send you the entire paper as proof. Enjoy reading all about the German U-boats sinking twenty-seven merchant ships in the Atlantic, and how Americans are now required to use ration stamps in order to feed their families. These are some dark days, and I can only hope that things are better than this in the future._

_Yours respectfully,_

_James Barnes_

YN considered his idea that it was fated for them to meet, but why? Why would fate want her to meet a man from seventy years ago? She looked at the newspaper he'd included – a seemingly brand new paper that wasn't the least bit yellowed with age. Shaking her head, she finally had to admit that this was somehow really happening to them, but for the life of her, she couldn't understand why.

 

* * *

 

_Dear Mr. Barnes,_

_Thank you for sending the whole newspaper, it was definitely an interesting read. I learned about WWII in school, but it's a different experience reading about the actual events as they were reported in 1943. At this point, I don't think either of us can deny that this strange connection between us is real, but I can't seem to think of a reason why it's happening. Any thoughts?_

_I also wanted to mention that I just found out that I will be going on a business trip in a few days. My job is sending me and another colleague back to New York for a seminar, so I won't be able to write back for a few days. I'll be free Saturday afternoon, so I thought I'd head back to Brooklyn and see the old apartment._

_Talk to you soon,_

_YN YLN_

 

* * *

 

 

On a whim, YN checked the mailbox right before she walked out the door to head to the airport for her mid-morning flight to JFK.

_Dear Ms. YLN,_

_It just so happens that I'll be free Saturday afternoon as well. Would you be interested in taking a tour of Brooklyn with me? I've included a map of some of my favorite places to go. I'm not sure if they're still there in 2012, but at least we'll be in the same places at the same time. . .just about seventy years apart. What do you say we start our tour around three o'clock? Don't forget to wear some comfortable shoes, we'll be doing most of this on foot!_

_Yours respectfully,_

_James Barnes_

With a huge grin, she grabbed a pen and scribbled a hasty note on the back of his envelope and slid it into the outgoing mail slot by the door. Tucking his letter and the map into her bag, she walked down to the sidewalk and got into her waiting Uber.

 

* * *

 

 

She had been looking forward to going to back to New York for the seminar, but now that she had a "date" with James, she couldn't quite seem to concentrate on the presentations being offered. When her last class let out a little early, she did a little dance in her seat before grabbing her things and rushing toward the exit. Checking her watch, she saw that she had plenty of time to catch the subway over to Brooklyn to begin her tour with James at their shared apartment.

When she'd gotten off at the York Street Station in Brooklyn, she'd felt like she'd was finally home. Walking down the familiar streets to her old apartment on Front Street, she tried to imagine what it all looked like seventy years ago. What had been in the Starbucks on the corner back when James had lived here? Had that family owned deli been here in the 40's? She had so many questions, and she wondered if she and James would have time to find out all of the answers.

She rounded the corner and a huge smile spread across her face as she headed toward her old apartment building. Pulling his map from her bag, she opened it up and began to read the handwritten notes he added to each stop on their tour.

_At three o'clock, start walking toward the Brooklyn Bridge. I assume the bridge is still there in 2012._

"Yes, James, the Brooklyn Bridge is still there," YN said aloud. She'd put in her headphones so people would assume she was speaking to someone on the phone instead of talking to herself. She'd hoped by talking to James as if he were walking alongside of her, she wouldn't feel like she was alone on her walk through history.

With the bridge in sight, she read his next note.

_There's a carousel down by the waterfront. There's a chariot with a woman draped in a flag and an eagle. Go past the first horse in front of the chariot, and you'll find a black horse wearing silver armor – that's the one I'll be riding._

YN shook her head and laughed as she waited in line and paid the attendant. Walking around the carousel, she found the chariot, and sure enough, there was the black horse with the silver armor. She climbed into the seat as the music began to play and the ride began. She looked back at the map to see what else James had to say.

_Sometimes Steve and I come down here to look out over the water. We like to pretend that the war isn't going on all around us, and life is as simple as a carousel ride on the river._

She folded the map and placed it in her bag so she could really enjoy the ride. There were families all around her – mothers and fathers with their children, laughing and taking photos on their cellphones. Taking in the scene around her, she realized that she was living the dream he and Steve had hoped for all those years ago. Yes, there were still wars going on around the world, but for the most part, people in America went about their daily lives like normal.

When the ride came to an end, she walked back toward the street as she looked at the map to see where she was supposed to go next.

_Now it's time to walk! Head over to Flatbush Avenue and walk about three miles to the Brooklyn Museum. In my day, it's one of the busiest streets in all of Brooklyn. Steve and I walk down here in the evenings to see a picture show, or to grab dinner at the Fulton Street Diner. I doubt either of those places exist in your time, but the theater and the diner were on the corner of Fulton Street and Flatbush Avenue._

YN checked the street signs at every intersection she came to until she found Fulton Street. She looked on both sides of the street, but she didn't see either a diner or a theater – there were only office buildings where pieces of James' past once stood.

"I'm sorry, James, they're both gone now."

With a feeling of sadness washing over her, she continued her trek down the avenue toward the museum. She knew for a fact that it was still standing because she'd often spent time wandering it's halls looking at the artwork on rainy Saturday afternoons.

_Steve loves art, so we'd head over to the museum on Thursday nights when they offered free admission. With the war going on, we don't have a lot of extra cash to spend. I'm not a fan of art, myself, but Steve comes to watch me box, so I take him to the museum when I don't have to work late at the garage._

YN looked up at the imposing stone staircase that led to the entrance of the museum. She doubted any of the exhibits that had been open in the 40s were still there today, so she checked the map to see if James wanted her to go in.

_Take a break and have a seat on the stairs. You walked a long way from the Brooklyn Bridge, so you deserve some time to catch your breath. I don't know what the view is like for you in 2012, but it's usually pretty quiet for me._

Taking a look around, she couldn't imagine a time when this city was quiet. It was a beautiful Spring day, and there were hoards of people walking in and out of the museum, as well as those on the street going about their daily lives. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine what it was like for James when he'd sat here seventy years ago. Realizing that she had no idea what he looked like, she imagined it was her favorite actor, Sebastian Stan, sitting next to her.

When she'd caught her breath, she looked back at the map to see where she should go next.

_Next stop is the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. They just planted some Kanzan cherry trees a few years ago, and they just started blooming a few days ago. Right now, they are tiny little things, but I can imagine that in seventy years, they are a sight to behold. Take a walk along the Esplanade with me?_

"I would love to take a walk through the cherry trees with you, James," YN said as she headed down the street toward the entrance to pay her admission fee.

Taking a map of the gardens from the kiosk at the entrance, she followed the map toward the Cherry Esplanade in the middle of the Gardens. When she rounded the bend just past the Japanese Hill and Pond Garden, she let out a gasp. From his description, she was expecting to see saplings, but she reminded herself that these trees had had seventy years to grow, and they were magnificent. Bright pink blossoms covered the branches, giving the impression that they were giant cones of cotton candy. She looked on in envy as couples walked along the lane between the trees holding hands and leaning in to whisper to one another. She felt a pang of loneliness as she realized that she and James would never actually get to walk through this garden together. Even if he were still living, he'd be in his nineties. Swallowing back tears, she put a smile on her face and continued walking.

_For the next stop on our tour, we'll be taking public transportation. Coney Island is about another seven miles from here, and even I won't walk that far! Hop on the bus, or grab a cab, and I'll meet you at the Ferris wheel._

Thankful that she didn't have to walk all the way to Coney Island, she headed back to the street to hail a cab. Once she'd given her destination to the driver, she gotten out her phone. It was the first time she'd even thought to look at it since she'd begun her adventure with James. With a start, she realized that it was almost six o'clock. She hadn't realized that three hours had already passed. She had a few missed texts from Bobbi, but she put her phone away without answering them. She only had a few more hours to spend with James and she wanted to make the most of her time without the distractions of her real life getting in the way.

Per his instructions, she bought a ticket for the Ferris wheel and looked out over the beach. The sun was beginning to set in the Western sky, and the clouds above her began to explode in shades of pinks and oranges. She wondered if James was seeing the type of sunset, and if he was as astounded by its beauty as she was.

Getting off the ride, she pulled out the map one last time.

_Thank you for spending the afternoon with me, YN. I'm sorry that I wasn't actually there to walk alongside of you, but even so, it's been one of the best days of my life._

Overcome with emotion, a tear escaped and ran down her cheek before she hastily wiped it away. She was being foolish – missing a man she'd never actually met. Yet, somehow, he seemed more real to her than anyone else in her life right now. Even more confused than ever, she wondered why fate had seen fit to connect the two of them across time.  It was just her luck that she'd start to fall in love with a man that was completely out of her reach.

 

* * *

 

 

_Dear James,_

_Thank you so much for the lovely afternoon in Brooklyn. It was wonderful to go home again, but seeing the city I love through your eyes made it that much more special. I'm sorry to say that the theater and the diner were no longer there, but I did enjoy the carousel ride, and the trip to the museum and the botanical gardens. I'd always enjoyed visiting Coney Island with my friends, so it was a treat to go back with you. While I was on the Ferris wheel, I saw the most beautiful sunset. Did you see it as well?_

_I've been doing some research into Brooklyn in the 1940's and I saw that the World Exposition of Tomorrow is coming up in a few days. From what I've read, it seemed like an amazing Expo. If you go, would you please write to me and tell me what it was like? I've read that Howard Stark debuted a flying car! If you get a chance to meet him, I'd love to know what he was really like in person._

_YN_

 

* * *

 

 

Bucky was at the garage when he got the call – the call he'd been dreading since he'd finished his winter training at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin. He'd gotten a copy of the paper that morning and found the ad for the Expo YN had mentioned, so he grabbed it and headed back to the apartment to change into his uniform.

Finding Steve was always a chore, especially since he didn't know what recruiting stations he hadn't hit up yet trying to get his enlistment. Taking a chance that he was at the theater, Bucky headed that way, but a sound from the alley drew his attention.

Shaking his head in frustration, he already knew the scene that would await him at the end. True to form, there was Steve, lip bloodied and his clothes filthy, as some brute punched him right in the jaw. The guy went to hit him again, but Bucky stopped him.

Grabbing the other man's arm, Bucky spun his around. "Hey. Pick on someone your own size."

The guy didn't respond. He snarled as he threw a sloppy left hook. Bucky dodged it easily and hit the man square on the jaw with a clean right hook. As the man spun around from the force of the blow, Bucky took the opportunity to plant his boot right on the man's ass, sending him flying toward the entrance of the alley. Assured that he was no longer a threat, Bucky turned back to his friend who was doubled over as he tried to catch his breath.

"Sometimes I think you like getting punched," Bucky remarked as Steve gingerly touched the heel of his hand to his soon to be bruised forehead.

"I had him on the ropes."

Bucky leaned down and picked up an enlistment card where it had fallen to the ground during the fight. "How many times is this?"

Reading the card, a grin spread across Bucky's face. "Oh, you're from Paramus now? You know it's illegal to lie on an enlistment form? And seriously, Jersey?"

Steve wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth and looked at Bucky for the first time since he'd come into the alley. Narrowing his eyes at the sight of his friend in uniform, he asked, "You get your orders?"

Bucky looked down for a moment before raising and eyebrows and cocking his head to the side. Bouncing on his toes, he replied, "The 107th. Sergeant James Barnes shipping out for England first thing tomorrow."

With a huff, Steve turned away from Bucky, shook his head, and stared at the ground. "I should be going."

Bucky had a moment of pity for his friend, but he didn't want to dwell on the negative. Plastering a smile to his face, he wrapped his arm around Steve and pulled him along, out of the alley. "C'mon man, it's my last night. I gotta get you cleaned up."

"Why? Where are we going?"

Looking straight ahead, Bucky handed Steve a copy of the newspaper. "The future."

Steve unfolded the paper and saw the advertisement for the World Exposition of Tomorrow, just like YN had said. "We're going?"

"We're going, pal," Bucky said. "I'm going to mail that to YN and let her know that I'm shipping out tomorrow." Bucky looked over at Steve in concern. "You'll keep writing to her, won't you?"

"You think it'll work for me?" Steve asked.

"Worth a shot," Bucky said as they crossed the street and headed for home. "If it works, maybe you mail her letters overseas and then I can write back to her."

 

* * *

 

 

It had been three days since she'd told Bucky about the Expo, and she was anxiously awaiting a letter from him. She was anxious to see if he would actually meet the famous Howard Stark. Obviously, she hadn't mentioned why she was so interested in Stark, but she didn't think it would matter one way or the other that he was one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. since the covert organization hadn't even existed in the 40s.

When she checked her box and found the envelope from Brooklyn with no postmark, her heart started racing. The first thing she noticed was the folded newspaper. Carefully unfolding it, she saw the half-page ad in all its glory. What she would have given to actually be there with James now.

_Dear YN,_

_I've enclosed a copy of the advertisement for the Expo with this letter. Unfortunately, I have some bad news and this will be the last time I write to you for a while. I got my orders today to ship out to England in the morning. I'm not sure it'll work, but I'm going to have my roommate Steve write to you, and hopefully we'll be able to keep in touch._

_I also had another idea. I'm not sure if I'm still alive in 2012 – hell, I'm not sure if I'm going to survive this war – but I thought you might want to meet if I'm still around. My real name is James Buchanan Barnes, but my friends call me Bucky._

_Respectfully yours,_

_Bucky Barnes_

YN's heart fell as she read the last lines of his letter. Bucky Barnes? Every S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit was required to memorize the names on the Wall of Valor that was present in every facility across the world. Bucky Barnes was listed as the first agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. that died in the line of duty. If he'd told her his nickname when they'd first begun writing to one another, she might have been able to save his life.

Knowing that it was a futile effort, she scribbled out a hasty note and shoved it into an envelope before racing back downstairs to the mail drop. If nothing else, his roommate might get it and still be able to warn him.

As thoughts of his roommate entered her mind, she finally realized who Steve was. Steven Grant Rogers, aka Captain America – the second agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. that had died in the line of duty. She was a little rusty on the history, but if she wasn't mistaken, Rogers had been chosen for the Super Soldier Program the same night as the Expo – the Expo she'd just sent them both to. With both Bucky and Steve off to war, there would be no one to receive her letter.

She checked the mailbox everyday for a week, but there was nothing. Finally, after ten days had gone by, she found a letter in the box. Her letter. The new tenant in her old apartment had scrawled "Return to Sender" along the front of the envelope, and in that moment, she knew whatever mysterious force that had allowed her to communicate with Bucky had ceased to work. With a heavy heart, she tried to focus on her job, but she couldn't help but wonder why they'd been allowed to meet one another, only to be ripped apart by the tragedy that befell both Bucky and Steve. What had been the point of it all if she hadn't at least gotten the opportunity to save one, if not both, of them?

This was the question that was monopolizing her thoughts when her best friend, and fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Bobbi Morse, came barreling around the corner of her cubicle.

"Have you heard?" Bobbi asked, a huge smile on her face.

YN gave her a puzzled look as she came back to the present and glanced around at the frenzied office. "What's going on?"

"We just got word that a team found Captain America buried under the ice in the Arctic," Bobbi told her, "and he's alive."

YN was speechless. How was this possible? Her first instinct was to try to find a way to get to him – to tell him who she was. With a quick shake of her head, she dispelled the idea. There was no way the senior agents were going to let her anywhere near Steve Rogers, and besides, would he even know who she was? It had only been a few days since she'd gotten Bucky's last letter, but to Steve, it had been almost seventy years, and she wasn't even sure that Bucky had told him about her. No, it was best for her to stay in the background for a while until the right opportunity presented itself to her.


	2. Part 2

**_2012_**  
"Director Fury," YN called out as she rushed to catch the imposing man before he left the conference room. "I realize that every other agent in this organization is volunteering for the job, but I'd just like to throw my hat in the ring as well."

"Agent YLN, right?" Fury asked, his one good narrowing as he tried to place her. "I understand your enthusiasm – it's not every day you get the chance to meet a super hero. I'm sorry, but I've already chosen an agent for this assignment."

YN knew it had been a long shot, but she had to at least try. It had been a few months since Captain America had come out of the ice, and everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. was still a little worried about his mental state. Before he'd been allowed time to acclimate to the twenty-first century, he'd been teamed up with a band of misfits, and thrust into an epic battle against the Chitauri that had destroyed most of New York City. Director Fury had thought a move to D.C. would help him recover, but they still wanted someone to have eyes on him at all times – hence the special assignment to spy on him.

"May I ask who received the assignment?"

Fury looked around the empty room as though he expected to find someone eavesdropping from the shadows. "Agent 13 was selected."

YN nodded her head in understanding. "Of course. Sharon is an excellent agent, and it doesn't hurt that she's Peggy Carter's great niece."

Fury gave her a hard stare. "I'm not sure how you know Agent 13's real identity, but that doesn't matter right now. The real question is – are you accusing me of nepotism?"

"Absolutely not," YN quickly assured him. "I only meant that she would undoubtedly have a greater insight into his character from listening to the stories her aunt has told her over the years."

"That definitely played into it," Fury confirmed. "You've proven yourself to be a fine agent over the years, YLN. I wouldn't worry too much about being passed over for this assignment."

"Thank you, Director Fury," she said as her boss gave her a nod and walked out of the room.

YN took a seat at the large conference table and buried her face in her hands. She'd thought that this would be her opportunity to finally talk to Steve – to finally find out if what had happened between her and Bucky was actually real. She had no hard feelings toward Sharon, just the opposite. Agent 13 had a stellar record with the organization, and of course she would be chosen for this particular assignment. YN knew that she'd at least needed to try or she would have always wondered if she was missing out on her only opportunity to meet the last man alive who possibly knew of her strange connection to Bucky Barnes.

As she thought about it, though, she realized that this assignment would've been the worst thing that could have happened to her. Sharon was going to have to assume a false identity around Steve, and that would've meant that YN wouldn't have been able to tell him who she really was. Reevaluating her situation, she realized that she just needed to bide her time and an opportunity to talk to Steve would eventually emerge.

 

* * *

 

She'd finally gotten her chance a few weeks later. It was such a mundane encounter that she'd almost missed her opening. She'd been in the elevator, reading over a mission report she needed to file with Director Fury, and she hadn't noticed Steve getting on a few floors after her. When she'd finally looked up and saw him, she'd inhaled sharply.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," he said with a chagrined smile on his face. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's not that," she said quickly, terrified that someone else would get on the elevator and ruin her chance. "I've been hoping to talk to you since I found out you were alive."

His eyebrows furrowed and he gave her a disapproving look. "I appreciate your interest, but I don't want to talk about the war – either of them."

"Oh, no, you don't understand," she said, realizing that the situation was quickly going south. "I wanted to talk to you about Bucky."

"Bucky?"

"I'm going about this the wrong way," she said, taking a deep breath before starting over. "This is going to sound crazy, and you might not even know what I'm talking about, but I'm YN YLN."

Steve's eyes grew large when he heard her name. "YN? From apartment. . ."

"310 in Brooklyn," she finished for him, her heart racing as she realized he knew who she was. "I'm so sorry I didn't warn the two of you sooner, but Bucky didn't tell me his name until that last letter, and I didn't put it together. By the time I figured it out, it was too late."

Steve laid a hand on her arm and gave her a comforting squeeze. "Maybe you weren't meant to warn us about our fate."

"Then what was the point of it all?"

He looked down at his feet and shook his head. "I don't know, YN, I really don't. Maybe someone knew I would need a friend right about now."

YN bit her lip and debated her next words. "Then why was I writing to Bucky instead of you?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "I can't answer that. All I know is that we're both here right now, and we're the only two people in the world who even remember Bucky."

"Well, that's not technically true," she said a bit hesitantly. "I guess no one's told you that Peggy's still alive?"

 

* * *

 

**_2014_ **

Over the next two years, YN and Steve bonded over their shared history with Bucky. Through him, she'd gotten the chance to meet the famed Peggy Carter, and both he and Peggy regaled her with stories of Bucky's bravery with Howling Commandos. Director Fury had been concerned at first, but she'd kept Sharon's cover a secret even though it killed her to lie to Steve. He'd asked the Director multiple times to reassign her to his team, but for some reason, Fury kept her teamed up with Bobbi running undercover ops all over the world.

YN was on one of those assignments when the world came crashing down around her. She and Bobbi were in a dive bar investigating an arms dealer in Eastern Europe when they caught footage of the Helicarriers falling from the sky into the Potomac. The reporter kept switching back between the wreckage at the Triskelion and the fight between Steve and a masked man with a metal arm. It wasn't until Steve pulled the mask from the other man's face that she finally recognized him. After years of helping Steve put together the memorial in the Smithsonian, Bucky's face had been burned into her mind. Even with the grainy film from the helicopter and his shoulder length hair, YN would have recognized him anywhere.

"We've got to get back to the States," YN told Bobbi as she grabbed her things and headed for the door.

"What are you talking about?" Bobbi protested as she grabbed her friend's arm. "We can't just up and leave an assignment. Fury will have our heads."

"Didn't you see the ticker going across the bottom of the screen?" YN asked as she tugged her arm free. "Fury is dead, and so is Secretary Pierce."

Bobbi swiveled her head around to look back at the screen. Reading the news for herself, she took a deep breath and was about to go after YN when the reporter came back on with an update.

"YN," Bobbi called out as she exited the bar and saw YN about a couple hundred yards ahead of her. "Wait. There's more."

YN turned on her heel at stared wide-eyed as her friend rushed to catch up. "What?"

"Apparently someone dumped all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files on the internet," she began when she'd finally reached YN. "The reporter didn't have all the facts, but from what they've analyzed so far, HYDRA is still active and they'd infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. years ago."

"HYDRA?" YN asked in a breathless whisper as all the pieces started falling in place – Bucky still alive, the metal arm, the long hair, the mask, fighting Steve – it all made sense now. Bucky was HYDRA, but how and why? "I've got to get back to Steve."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Bobbi said with a sad look in her eye. "They think he went down with one of the Helicarriers."

"You don't know Steve Rogers," YN countered. "That man survived being frozen in the Arctic for seventy years after crashing a plane. I think he can handle a dip in the Potomac."

"They also identified the man who killed Fury," Bobbi continued. "They called him the Winter Soldier. He's the masked man who was fighting the Captain a few days ago. They're pretty sure he was on the Helicarriers with Rogers."

"His name is Bucky Barnes," YN told her, completely sure of what she was saying. "He's Steve's best friend, and I guarantee he wouldn't kill Steve."

Bobbi gave her friend a sympathetic look. "He's an assassin for HYDRA, YN. I've heard rumors of him for years, and if he's as ruthless as they claim he is, he wouldn't hesitate to kill his own mother."

"You don't know him like I do," YN said as she walked into the excuse for a lobby in their hotel. It was a top-notch hotel if you overlooked the holes in the walls and the cockroaches that scurried back into their hiding places when the lights came on.

"What are you talking about?" Bobbi asked as they climbed the stairs to their floor. "Up until five minutes ago, Bucky Barnes was listed as killed in action back in '45."

YN quickly opened the door to their room and began to shove her belongings into her small suitcase. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at her friend. "I know it doesn't make sense, but a few years ago, Bucky and I were pen pals."

Bobbi's eyebrows shot sky high. "You were pen pals with one of the deadliest assassins in history. Please elaborate, I'd love to know how those conversations went."

With a defeated sigh, YN sat on the end of the bed and ran her hands over her face. "It's going to sound crazy – I still have a hard time believing it happened – but I wasn't writing to this version of Bucky. I was writing to him back in 1943 before he shipped out to war."

Cocking her head to the side, Bobbi gave her friend a concerned look. "Honey, what did you have to drink back there in the bar? Did someone slip you some Absinthe?"

"Why do you think I'm such good friends with Steve?"

Bobbi opened her mouth and then closed it again as she pursed her lips. "Everyone just assumes you're sleeping with him." When YN's mouth fell open in shock, Bobbi was quick to elaborate. "We're all really jealous if that makes you feel better."

"I'm not," YN began, but words seemed to be failing her. "I mean, we're not. . .how could anyone think that Steve and I. . .? That's insane. We're just friends."

A sly grin spread across her friend's face. "C'mon YN, even you have to admit that Steve Rogers is every girl's fantasy."

"Not mine," YN said with a shake of her head. "Maybe it's because I met Bucky first, but I just don't see Steve like that, and he doesn't see me that way either."

"He's still in love with Peggy Carter?" Bobbi asked as YN got up and continued packing.

"There's that," YN told her as she zipped the bag shut. "But he's also kind of smitten with his neighbor Kate."

"Isn't Kate really Agent 13?"

"Hence the reason I'm trying to discourage that relationship. Sharon is doing a pretty good job of keeping him at arm's length, but I can tell she's starting to develop feelings for him. Who knows what will happen now that S.H.I.E.L.D. has fallen."

Realizing that her friend was intent on heading back to the states tonight, Bobbi began to grab her things as well. "Give me a second to pack, and I'll head back with you to see what's left."

 

* * *

 

With America on high alert, it was even more difficult to get back into the country than YN had originally thought. The fact that they were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents actually worked against them since the entire world now associated S.H.I.E.L.D. with HYDRA. After three long days of battling red tape and various government agencies, they finally landed at Dulles International airport.

Not knowing where else to go, they headed to the ruins of the Triskelion. Someone had contracted out salvage crews, and they were currently dredging the Potomac for the remnants of the Helicarriers. YN wondered if they would tear down S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, or repair it in hopes that the organization could one day rebuild itself.

She and Bobbi kept their distance, hoping to see someone they knew they could trust lurking in the shadows like they were. They had been sitting on a park bench pretending to play on their phones for an hour, and were just about to give up hope when YN spotted a familiar face.

"Isn't that Izzy Hartley?"

Bobbi waited a moment before nonchalantly glancing over her shoulder in the direction that YN had indicated. "Yeah, I think so. Who's the hottie with her?"

YN rolled her eyes and looked up from her phone to see who Bobbi was referring to. "No clue, but if Agent Hartley trusts him, he must be one of the good guys."

"Are you sure we can trust Agent Hartley?" Bobbi asked with a sigh.

"She looks like she's been through hell in the last few days," YN observed.

"Doesn't mean she was fighting for the good guys."

YN put her phone away and stood up from the bench. "There's only one way to know for sure."

Muttering a curse, Bobbi stood up as well and followed her friend. "If I wind up dead because your instincts are wrong, I'll haunt you for eternity."

"If my instincts are wrong, then we'll both wind up dead."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're great at pep talks?" Bobbi asked with a huff.

"If it's one thing I've learned from Steve over the years, honesty really is the best policy." YN gave her friend a light bump on the shoulder with her own before slowing her pace so that Agent Hartley could recognize her.

"Agent YLN, Agent Morse," she said warily. "What brings the two of you here?"

"Bobbi and I were on a mission in Romania when he heard the news," YN explained, making sure to keep her hands in plain view of the senior agent and her cohort. "We didn't know where else to go once we got back to the States. Why are you here, and who's your friend?"

"Romania?" Agent Hartley asked, her eyes narrowing. "I guess if you were HYDRA, you wouldn't have risked coming back here."

"We're not HYDRA, ma'am," Bobbi said, her gaze never leaving the dark haired man accompanying her.

He seemed to be just as interested in Bobbi as she was in him, but that didn't surprise YN in the least. Her friend was the kind of woman that no one overlooked in a crowd. At 5'10" with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, she tended to stick out, but she had a way of using it to her advantage that YN envied.

"Lance Hunter," the mystery man said, extending a hand toward Bobbi.

"You're a Brit," Bobbi said as she shook his hand.

"Hunter is a former British soldier turned mercenary that I've recruited since this mess with HYDRA came to light," Agent Hartley explained. "I wasn't sure who I could trust in S.H.I.E.L.D., so I called some of my contacts in MI6. Hunter came highly recommended."

"Are you looking for more recruits?" Bobbi asked. "YN and I came back here to help in any way we can. If you're trying to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. . . ."

"We are," Agent Hartley said, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Hunter and I came back here today hoping to find other agents like yourselves to bring back into the fold."

"I applaud your efforts, Agent Hartley," YN began, "but I'm more interested in finding out what happened to the Captain."

Agent Hartley nodded her head in understanding. "I've heard that the two of you are close. As for his status, it's been on a need to know basis. I did hear rumors that he'd been released from the hospital, but as to where he is, I'm not sure."

"He's alive, though?" YN asked, her worries starting to abate with Agent Hartley's news.

"Yes," the senior agent confirmed. "He was in pretty bad shape from what I heard. The assassin they call the Winter Soldier did his best to kill him, but I guess the Captain got the upper hand in the end."

YN's heart dropped at the thought of Steve killing Bucky, but if what she feared was true, Bucky had been turned by HYDRA decades ago and Steve might not have had a choice. Mentally shaking her head, she tried to focus on her next move. Turning toward Bobbi, she said, "My priority is finding Steve. I'm not sure how long that's going to take, so you should go with Agent Hartley and work on rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Are you sure?" Bobbi asked, not wanting to abandon her friend.

"I'm sure," YN told Bobbi before turning back to Agent Hartley. "Ma'am, I wish you the best of luck, and maybe someday our paths will cross again."

Agent Hartley extended her hand toward YN. "Good luck to you, Agent YLN. If Rogers isn't still in the city, you might want to make your way to New York – he may try to reconnect with Tony Stark."

"I really don't want to deal with Stark," YN said with a grimace, "but if that's the only way I can find Steve again, then I guess I'll suffer the consequences."

"Is Stark really that bad?" Hunter asked.

"Yes," Bobbi and Agent Hartley answered in unison.

YN pulled Bobbi into a hug. "Take care and don't do anything stupid."

"You either," Bobbi warned, earning her a disbelieving glare from YN. "Don't try to play dumb. We both know that Steve Rogers is the most reckless man alive, and he is not a good influence on you."

A huge smile spread across YN's face as she shook her head. "I do try to curb that reckless nature of his, but I think he's a lost cause."

"Okay, then," Bobbi said, her smile fading away. "I guess this is goodbye for now."

"For now," YN agreed, giving everyone a small wave as she began backing away. She wasn't sure that she was doing the right thing, but every instinct she had was telling her to find Bucky, and the only one who know whether Bucky was alive was Steve.

Burying her hands in her pockets and hunching her shoulders, YN began walking away from the ruins of her former life. She thought about all that had happened in the weeks since she'd been assigned the arms dealer case in Romania – S.H.I.E.L.D. had fallen, HYDRA had re-emerged, Bucky had come back from the dead, Steve had almost been killed, and Director Fury had died. With nowhere else to go, she headed toward the Metro. The least she could do would be to visit Arlington and pay her respects to the man that helped shape her into the agent she was today.

Finding the location of Director Fury's grave in the register had been pretty simple – trekking halfway across the vast cemetery on foot had proved to be the real challenge. As she checked the map one last time, she heard muffled voices in the distance. Years of training had her finding cover behind a tree as she scoped out the area where Fury had been buried.

There was a small copse of trees partially blocking her view, but she immediately recognized the flash of red as belonging to Agent Romanoff. She was standing beside a well-built black man in a khaki colored coat that YN didn't recognize. The man shifted a bit and Steve came into view. Natasha was handing him some type of file, but she couldn't read the writing on the outside from her vantage point.

She was just about to approach when another man rounded a tree as he walked toward her. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up and a pair of dark sunglasses shielding his face, but YN would have recognized him anywhere.

"Rumor has it that you're supposed to be dead," YN remarked as she came out from behind the tree.

"Rumors are usually wrong," Fury said with a smirk, "or have I taught you nothing in the last two years."

"I'm glad you're not dead, sir."

"As far as anyone's concerned – I am," he told her as he looked back toward the gravesite.

"Your secret's safe with me."

"You wouldn't be interested in joining me for a mission in Europe?" he asked hopefully. "Rogers just turned me down, said there was something he needed to take care of first."

YN looked toward Steve and Natasha before turning back to Fury. "I have a feeling Steve and I need to take care of the same thing, sir."

Fury shook his head. "I never did understand your connection to Barnes. I even looked into your family history to see if you were distantly related to him, but. . .nothing."

YN took a deep breath before offering a vague explanation. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you – let's just say that Bucky and I have a complicated history."

"Well, good luck to you Agent YLN," Fury said as he reached out to shake her hand.

"You too, sir," she said as she started toward Steve. "Oh, by the way, I just ran into Agent Hartley. She's recruiting British mercenaries to help fight what's left of HYDRA. I left Agent Morse with her, but I think they might need a little help."

Fury considered her suggestion and gave her a nod. "Thanks for the tip. It's nice to know we still have allies out there."

With that, he turned to leave and YN focused her attention back on Steve. The mystery man was leaning against a tree, and YN could only assume he was giving the other two a moment of privacy instead of acting as a lookout since he didn't seem to notice her approaching. Natasha leaned over and gave Steve a kiss on the cheek just as she walked up behind them. Natasha gave YN a slight nod as she began to walk away.

"Be careful, Steve," Natasha said, briefly turning around and focusing her gaze on YN who had taken cover behind another tree. "You might not want to pull on that thread."

The other man still hadn't noticed her, so she decided to keep her distance for a bit to read the situation. He looked annoyed with Steve, so YN assumed he must know the Captain pretty well.

"You're going after him," the other man said, not bothering to phrase his words as a question.

"You don't have to come with me," Steve told him.

"I know," the other man replied. "When do we start?"

"Good question," YN remarked as she began walking toward them.

Both Steve and his friend turned around in surprise. Steve let out a sigh as a smile spread across his face. "YN. It's good to see you."

He enveloped her in a bear hug that had a few ribs groaning in protest. She didn't complain though – she was just happy that he was alive and seemed to recovering from his injuries.

She pulled away and met his eyes. "Is it really him?"

His smile faded. "It's Bucky, but HYDRA did something to him. He barely even knew who I was."

"He tried to kill you," YN said, concern etched on her face. "From what I heard about the Helicarriers, he almost succeeded."

"Not trying to put a damper on the reunion, but who are you?"

Steve looked over at his friend, and YN could tell that he'd actually forgotten the other man was there. Steve rubbed a hand over the back of his neck as he began the introductions. "YN YLN, this is Sam Wilson. Sam, this is YN."

Sam reached out a hand and YN took it, immediately impressed with the man's grip. They eyed each other warily for a bit before Sam spoke.

"So, how do you know the Winter Soldier?"

YN withdrew her hand and narrowed her eyes. "I don't. It's a long story, but let's just say that I've known Bucky and Steve for a lot longer than most people would think."

"YN and Bucky kinda had a long distance relationship a few. . .years. . .decades ago?" Steve tried to explain. "I guess it depends on who's perspective you're looking at."

Sam raised his eyebrows in confusion before turning toward YN again. "So, you're like Steve, then? A super soldier that doesn't age?"

"No," YN replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "I'm just a normal girl who got thrown into an abnormal situation."

"I'll explain it later," Steve told Sam before turning back to YN. "Right now we need to figure out how we're going to find him."

"Where do we start?" YN asked. "Stark?"

"I'm taking Sam with me, and we're heading to New York."

"What about me?" YN asked, instantly aware that he'd failed to mention her in his plan to head north.

"With S.H.I.E.L.D. compromised, we're going to need another high-level government agency to help in the search," Steve told her.

"That makes sense," she agreed, realizing what he wanted her to do. "What are you thinking? FBI? Homeland Security?"

YN could see the shift from Steve to the Captain as he began outlining his plan. "From what I've learned about his past, this Bucky won't feel comfortable in the States. For one, his face is plastered all over every TV, newspaper, and internet site. I think he'll head overseas – probably somewhere off the grid that won't care about America or their fugitives."

"CIA, then," she surmised. "My record with S.H.I.E.L.D. is exemplary – I shouldn't have a problem getting recruited. Are you sure he's even alive?"

"He's the one that pulled me from the river," Steve admitted, his lips forming a hard line as he remembered the feeling of the water pulling him down.

"You didn't tell me that," Sam said with a scowl.

"It's a minor detail that only YN would care about," he told his friend. Steve leaned in to give her another hug. "We'll stay in touch. Let me know if you find even the flimsiest lead, and I'll do the same."

"I will," YN told him before looking back at Sam. "Take care of him for me. He has a bad habit of getting himself in over his head."

"Really?" Sam asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I hadn't noticed."

"And this is the real reason why I don't want the two of you working together," Steve teased.

 

* * *

 

**_2016_ **

It had been two years since YN had joined the CIA, and nothing. Absolutely no leads on Bucky's whereabouts. Working with Sharon, YN had set up hidden facial recognition software on the CIA's mainframe in Berlin, but somehow Bucky was able to keep to the shadows wherever he'd hidden himself. YN was starting to get frustrated, and she wondered if they would ever find him again, or if he was even alive.

"I have new intel from the field agents," YN told Sharon as she walked into the other woman's office. She had been looking at the file, but glanced up when Sharon didn't respond. YN immediately became concerned when she saw the tears in her friend's eyes. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"It's Aunt Peggy," Sharon said through her tears.

YN pulled her friend into a hug. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. Peggy Carter was a fine woman, and she'll be greatly missed."

"Thanks," Sharon said as she pulled away and wiped at the tears in her eyes. "You'll go with me to London for the funeral?"

YN nodded her head. "Of course. Has anyone told Steve?"

Shaking her head, Sharon said, "You should tell him. He's going to take this pretty hard."

"He is," YN agreed. "He's also going to be pretty angry when he finds out you're really Peggy's niece."

"Angry with you or me?" Sharon asked with a grimace.

YN took a deep breath before answering. "Both. Are you going to tell him before the funeral?"

"If I get a chance, but I'm not sure there will be time," Sharon told her as she pulled up the calendar on her phone. "I have a feeling my uncle is going to plan the funeral for the same day as the Accords. If Steve plans on signing, he'll be cutting it close to make it to both events."

 

* * *

 

YN had been keeping an eye out for Steve and Sam since she'd sent him a text message a few days ago. The service was just about to begin, and she was worried he was going to miss it. She'd saved the two super heroes a seat near the front, so knew instantly from the hushed whispers beginning to resonate throughout the church that they'd finally arrived.

Steve leaned over and gave her a hug. "Sorry we're late – traffic was horrible."

"It's fine," YN began, "there's just something I need to tell you before they begin. . ."

YN was interrupted as the organ began playing and someone announced Sharon's name. Sam nudged Steve with his elbow, and both she and Steve looked up to see the blonde walking toward the podium. Realizing that she'd missed her chance, YN sat back and waited for the eyebrows of disappointment to be focused on her.

Sharon gave her and Steve a regretful look before she began her speech. "Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy. She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But, it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related."

"Did you know?" Steve whispered accusingly at YN.

"It wasn't my secret to share," she whispered back, giving Steve a sad look before turning her attention back to Sharon.

"I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage at a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. And she said, 'Compromise when you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move. It is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in they eye and say, No... ... you move.'"

YN could sense the shift in Steve, and she knew in that moment that he wasn't going to change his mind about the Accords. They'd briefly texted about his decision not to sign, and YN honestly wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing or not. Now after hearing Sharon repeat Peggy's words, YN knew that Steve felt justified in his beliefs. She only hoped he knew what he was doing.

 

* * *

 

While they were at the reception following the funeral, YN grabbed Sam's arm and pulled him toward the bar. "Let's give those two a chance to talk."

Steve looked over his shoulder at the retreating backs of his friends before turning back to Sharon. Gesturing toward a small table in the corner, she led the way and took a seat.

YN glanced back at her two friends and had a moment of jealousy. Would she ever have the opportunity to actually sit down with Bucky and talk about. . .anything? If she ever did find him, would he even remember who she was? Steve was sure the only reason Bucky had pulled him from the Potomac was because he remembered who he was, but neither of them were completely sure.

"How long have you known about Sharon?" Sam asked as he signaled the bartender.

"I put it together back when I first transferred to D.C.," she told him before giving her order to the young man at the bar.

"And you didn't think to tell Steve?"

She gave Sam a defeated look. "She'd just been assigned to go undercover to keep an eye on him, and I barely knew him at that point. I'd hoped she would come clean after S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, but we ended up getting transferred to Berlin, and the two of them lost touch."

"Don't you think it's a bit weird that she's his old girlfriend's niece?" Sam asked as he took a sip of his whiskey.

"Great niece," she corrected. "And honestly, I don't know. I do know that up until the end, Peggy still loved him, but she knew it was time for him to move on. She would have wanted him to be with someone she liked and respected, and Sharon fits the bill. Maybe it's a bit creepy, but look at me – I'm in love with a man I've never actually met, who also happens to be one of the deadliest assassins in the world."

Sam grimaced before he fixed that megawatt smile on her. "Touché."

She was about to make a snarky comeback when a collective gasp brought her attention back to her surroundings. Looking around, she saw that everyone was focused on the TVs above the bar. Shifting her gaze, she saw the aftermath of a bombing at the UN. Glancing back to the corner where Steve and Sharon had been a few moments ago, she noticed that they were gone.

"By the elevators," Sam said, already having noticed that they'd disappeared.

"Steve," Sam said, drawing their attention. "There's something you've got to see."

The four of them headed back to the bar, and once Sharon had seen what had happened she turned to YN. "We need more information."

"Let's head back to the room," YN suggested as the elevator doors opened. "We need to contact Deputy Director Ross for instructions."

Once they were in the room, Sharon got on the phone and she, Steve, and Sam turned on the TV and listened to the reporter. "A bomb hidden in a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna. More than seventy people have been injured. At least twelve are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations."

"We have to go to work," Sharon said as she hung up the phone.

YN looked at Steve, disbelief written all over her face. "I don't believe it."

"Me either," he replied. "It just doesn't make sense. Why spend all this time hiding, only to get caught on tape planting a bomb?"

"Someone set him up, but why?" YN asked.

 

* * *

 

The next few days passed by in a blur for YN. Between Steve going rogue and getting captured with Bucky in Romania, to Zemo infiltrating the Joint Terrorism Task Force and activating the Soldier, to the battle at the airport in Germany, YN felt like her life had turned into a nightmare. She'd been furious when Steve had contacted Sharon after they escaped the Task Force, but Sharon had told her that Steve didn't want her to be a part of his fight.

She'd been so close to Bucky, but fate had intervened again to pull them apart. Now half of the Avengers were locked up God knows where, and Steve and Bucky were on the run. Sharon had been apologetic and sympathetic, but she was just as clueless as to where anyone was.

Once the trail had gone cold, she'd finally gotten a chance to actually go home instead of sleeping in her office, so she wasn't surprised to find a mountain of mail waiting for her when she checked her box. Pulling the letters from the box, she made her way to the elevator. Habit had her looking for an envelope from Bucky. Even after four years, and a move across the Atlantic, she still held out hope that fate would see fit to bring them back together again, but no such luck.

Exiting the elevator she made her way to her door, but drew up short when she saw the note taped there. "Got a package for you. Come see me. -Hans."

It wasn't uncommon for her landlord to sign for packages while she was at work, but she knew she hadn't placed an order in the last few days, so the arrival of this package got her hopes up. Shoving her mail into her bag, she ran back to the elevator – just catching it before the doors closed.

Once she was back on the ground floor, she rushed to her landlord's door and began banging. Knowing her luck, he wouldn't be home, but someone must have decided to smile down on her.

"Oh, it's you," Hans said with a roll of his eyes.

"Sorry to disappoint," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "You left a note that I'd gotten a package?"

Hans turned away from her and began rummaging through the stack of junk on his recliner by the door. Pulling a small FedEx box from the pile, he handed it over and promptly shut the door in her face.

"Thank you," she said to the closed door before she headed back to the elevator. She started to open the package, but after a quick glance at the security camera in the corner, she decided she should wait until she was in the privacy of her own apartment.

It was torture waiting for the elevator to reach her floor, but once she was finally in her apartment, she ripped open the package and dumped the contents onto the kitchen counter. Inside the box was a note and a burner phone.

_YN,_

_Bucky and I are safe for the moment. I won't tell you where we are in case this package is intercepted, just know that we're somewhere the government can't find us. Forgive me, but I didn't tell Bucky that we'd found one another. He's been through so much, and I didn't want to add anything else to his already guilty conscience. I know it's killing you to sit on the sidelines and wait for your opportunity to speak to him again, but you'll have to trust me on this. He's decided to go back into cryo until we can find a way to remove the trigger words from his subconscious. I have a plan for that, but first, I'll have to rescue the rest of my team. If I'm successful, I'll call you in a few months after things have settled down. Please be patient with me, and with Bucky._

_Your friend (hopefully),_

_Steve_

YN put down the letter and stared at the phone for a moment before picking it up. It had a full charge, so it started right up for her, but when she checked the call log and contact list, she found them both empty. She had no choice but to wait for Steve, but it didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

 

* * *

 

Three months had gone by without a word from Steve. She'd started carrying the burner phone with her everywhere she went, but she made it a point to never look at it while she was at work. She wasn't sure what she would have done if it had rang while she was in the office, but she should have known that Steve wouldn't be that careless.

When it finally did ring, she was sitting on her couch, flipping through the channels on the TV. At first, she didn't realize what it was, but when she did, she could barely hear the ringtone over her heart, pounding in her ears.

Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, she turned up the volume on the TV as loud as it would go before pulling her blanket over her head and answering. "Bucky?"

"It's Steve, sorry."

"No, it's okay," she said, pushing down her disappointment. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Steve told her. "What is that noise?"

"I wouldn't put it past Ross to bug my apartment, so I turned up the TV to drown out our conversation."

"Good thinking," he said. "As for Bucky, Wanda was finally able to remove the trigger words, but he's still a bit raw from the process."

"Have you told him about me yet?"

"I was scared he'd tell me not to contact you, so no," Steve explained. "I figured I'd tell him once I knew you were on your way. Can you get a few days off of work?"

"I haven't had a vacation in years," she said with a sardonic laugh. "Ross has actually been on me to take some time off, but I think he's just hoping I'll lead them to you. Do you have a plan to prevent that?"

She could practically hear Steve's smile through the phone. "As a matter of fact, I do. I won't go into the details over the phone, but I've got a friend taking care of it all. Don't forget to wear a hat."

YN started to ask why she needed a hat, but a loud banging on the door distracted her.

"See you soon, YN," Steve said.

"Wait," she called out, but he'd already hung up. Checking the caller ID on the phone, she was disappointed to see that it was from a blocked number. Throwing off the blanket, she turned off the TV and headed to the door.

She drew up short when she saw the unmarked envelope just inside her doorway. Picking it up, she pulled open the door and peered into the hallway. Empty. She wasn't surprised – Steve knew how to play the game.

Closing the door, she opened the envelope and found a ticket out of Berlin to JFK with a connecting flight in Zurich. Surely he and Bucky weren't in the States? YN knew that Steve had a plan, and she'd just have to trust him to get her to Bucky.

 

* * *

 

Getting a few weeks off of work had been no problem, and that in itself made her suspicious of Deputy Director Ross. She knew he was an honorable man, but it still rankled her to know that he was using her to get to Steve. Brushing off her anger, she focused on the fact that in a few days, she'd finally get to meet the man that had captured her heart four years ago.

Remembering Steve's last request, she pulled a plain black hat over her head before grabbing her suitcase and heading to the airport. She chided herself for being so nervous – she'd been a government agent for the past eight years and missions like this were nothing new for her. Somehow this was different, though. This wasn't just another mission – this would determine the rest of her life. If things went well, she may never return to Berlin. She may never return to the life she'd worked so hard to create, but if it meant that she got to be with Bucky, it would be worth it.

She kept her eyes and ears open as she checked in at the counter and took her carry-on bag to the security checkpoint. So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She had noticed the agent following her once she'd cleared security, but she wasn't concerned about the other woman.

When she'd boarded the plane for Zurich, she'd been disappointed that nothing had happened yet, but she decided to be patient. The flight was uneventful and less than an hour and half later, she was landing in Switzerland. She retrieved her carry-on from the overhead compartment and exited the plane, one eye glued to the CIA agent that had boarded the flight with her.

She found the terminal for her connecting flight to JFK and had a seat while she waited for the plane to board. A flash of light caught her eye, and she looked up. Her years of training was the only thing that kept her from reacting to the sight before her. She didn't know how Steve had done it, but he'd somehow found someone who looked exactly like her and had dressed her in identical clothing. Her twin put away the small compact and rose from her seat, making her way to the bathroom across the concourse. YN waited a moment, her eyes darting to her tail, and when she was sure the CIA agent hadn't seen the other woman, she rose and followed her to the bathroom.

YN was quickly pulled into a stall by her lookalike. "Here's a ticket for your next flight. It doesn't leave for two hours so you have time. Crouch on the toilet and wait until the flight to JFK takes off before you leave this bathroom. I'll lead your tail back to the States and by the time she realizes it's not you, it'll be too late."

The mysterious woman motioned for YN to climb on the toilet before she flushed it and grabbed YN's carry-on. YN could hear the door to the bathroom open and peeking through the crack in the door, she watched the CIA agent give her double a quick glance before heading to a stall. The other woman made a show of washing her hands before heading out of the bathroom. YN waited for a moment, and sure enough the CIA agent followed her out of the bathroom, completely unaware that it wasn't YN she was tailing now.

It was a long wait crouched on top of toilet in an airport bathroom, but she kept reminding herself what she stood to lose if she didn't do as she'd been instructed. When the loudspeaker announced the final boarding call for her flight to JFK, she waited another thirty minutes before she moved.

Her legs had begun to cramp after ten minutes, so by the time she'd gotten off the toilet, she could barely feel them. She checked her watch and saw that she still had twenty minutes before her plane started boarding, so she sat on the toilet and massaged her legs until the feeling started to come back.

Her twin had left a black backpack hanging on the back of the door, so YN grabbed it and headed toward the concourse written on her boarding pass. Once she was safely on board the plane and sure that no one had followed her, she looked inside. There was a new burner phone, and a change of clothes. A quick glance at the sizes showed that they would indeed fit her, and she applauded Steve for his attention to detail. Pulling open her jacket, she retrieved the letters she'd kept hidden away for the past six years. Glad that she'd decided to keep them on her instead of putting them into her carry-on, she opened the first one and began to reread them for the hundredth time.

The flight she was on now was taking her back to Germany, but she would catch another flight out of Frankfurt to Nairobi, Kenya. She wasn't sure what was in Africa, but she had her suspicions.

After a long, sixteen hour day spent changing planes and hiding from the CIA, she finally landed in Nairobi. Her new phone chirped with an incoming message. YN followed the instructions and found a tall, lithe African woman waiting for her just past the security checkpoint like the message had indicated. Without a word, the other woman lead her through a series of corridors until they came to a private terminal. On the other side of the glass walls was a small jet, already running and ready for take off.

YN followed the woman onto the plane and was relieved to see Steve waiting for her in one of the oversized leather seats. He quickly rose and pulled her into one of his bone-crushing bear hugs.

"You didn't have any problems?" he asked once they taken a seat and the pilot began taxiing down the runway.

"Not at all," she told him. "My body double and I switched places back in Zurich, and the CIA agent followed her to JFK." She took a moment to look around the expensive private jet. "Where are we going, Steve?"

"Wakanda."

"I thought King T'Challa hated Bucky. Why would he help you?"

Steve gave her a shrug as a small smile played across his handsome features. "A lot happened in Siberia, but to make a long story short, T'Challa realized that it had been Zemo pulling the strings all along. Once he realized Bucky was innocent, he offered us asylum until we could officially clear our names."

"And Bucky?" she asked hopefully.

Steve's gaze dropped to his lap, and she knew that things weren't going to go her way.

"He doesn't want to see you," Steve explained, not willing to meet her eyes. "I've tried talking to him, but he's insistent. He did give me this."

YN took the envelope he held out to her. "We're really going to do this again?"

With a chagrinned look, Steve finally met her angry glare. "I told him I wouldn't send you away after all you risked to come here, so he decided to write that."

YN acknowledged his explanation with a nod before she pulled out the single sheet of paper. After seventy years, his handwriting hadn't changed a bit, and YN found a small amount of comfort in that fact.

_Dear YN,_

_I'm sorry that you've wasted your time coming here to see me, but I'm not the man you used to know – he died on that train in '45. I'd hoped that you would have moved on by now and forgotten about me, and I blame Steve for keeping your hopes alive. I'm a shell of the man I used to be, and you'd be ashamed of the monster HYDRA created. Please do yourself a favor and go back to your life before it's too late – I have nothing to offer you but pain and regret._

_Yours respectfully,_

_Bucky_

"Did you read this?" she asked when she'd finished.

"No, but I'm sure I guess what it says," Steve admitted.

"He has to know that I won't accept this."

"I tried to tell him," Steve said with a smirk, "but when has he ever listened to me?"

"I swear, I don't know how the two of you survived WWII as long as you did," she said as she looked out the window to hide the tears in her eyes.

 

* * *

 

_Dear Bucky,_

_The fact that you're too ashamed of your past to talk to me tells me that you're still the man you used to be. I just knowingly lied to the CIA in order to come here, and I can't be sure I wouldn't have killed the agent they sent to tail me to keep you off their radar, so I'm not exactly the same person you met all those years ago, either. I don't blame you for the things HYDRA forced you to do. In the years since S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, I've had run-ins with actual HYDRA agents and I assure you they showed no remorse for their actions. You were manipulated beyond your control, but I also understand why you feel the way you do. You're a good man Bucky, and even HYDRA couldn't take that away from you. They took so much from you – from me – please don't let them take away our opportunity to finally be together._

_Yours always,_

_YN_

_P.S. I've also enclosed your letters to me, just in case you need a reminder of who you are._

 

* * *

 

Steve stood in the doorway while Bucky read the letter from YN. "Well?"

Bucky tossed the letters aside and strode to the window overlooking the vast jungle beyond. "Nothing's changed. I may not have the trigger words in my head anymore, but that doesn't erase the seventy years of blind obedience to HYDRA."

Steve shook his head in anger as he watched Bucky clench and unclench the fingers on his new vibranium arm. "That's bull and you know it. And stop it with the hand. That's not the same one that HYDRA manipulated, so quit acting like it is."

Bucky turned around in shock. In all of the months since Steve had found him in Romania, he'd never raised his voice to him, but now he was actually yelling at him. Bucky should have been concerned, but for some reason it comforted him. His best friend may be twice his size now, but the ninety-five pound ball of righteous fury that he'd desperately tried to contain in the 40s was still alive and well.

"Why does this matter to you so much?" Bucky asked. "You barely even knew her."

"I barely knew her then," Steve explained, "but since they found me in the Arctic, I've gotten to know her a whole lot better than you ever did."

"Then why don't you date her?" Bucky asked, shaking his head and looking back out the window.

"Because I'm not the one she's in love with," Steve whispered.

Bucky didn't move a muscle, but his eyes widened upon hearing Steve's confession. He'd been infatuated with the idea of YN seventy years ago, but she'd never seemed real to him until now. He kept telling himself that if he never actually met her, he wouldn't have to admit how much she really meant to him. Knowing that she had fallen in love with him just as he'd fallen in love with her only made it harder to keep her at arm's length.

Looking back at Steve, but not meeting his eye, he said, "Maybe she should be."

"You're making a mistake, Buck," Steve said in a last ditch effort to change his friend's mind.

Bucky turned around and finally asked the question that had been plaguing him since Steve had told him he'd found YN four years ago in D.C. "Then why wasn't she fighting alongside us in Germany?"

Steve's head dropped and he peeked out from beneath his lashes to gauge Bucky's reaction to his next statement. "I've already gotten hell from her over that one, but it was my call to leave her out of that. You already had too much on your mind going into that fight – I didn't want to make things worse by throwing her into the mix."

Bucky started to say something, but Steve interrupted him. "I know what you're going to say, but I'm not going to apologize. I stand behind my decision, and it doesn't matter how angry you two are with me. It might seem selfish to you, but I knew if she came with us, she'd end up getting herself killed to save you, and you would've never forgiven me for that."

Bucky opened his mouth, and then thought better and closed it again. Turning back to the window, he waited until Steve closed the door behind him before he walked back to the bed where he'd tossed the letters YN had sent him. Sitting on the edge, he picked up one and began to read.

Bucky read and reread the letters he'd sent her all those years ago. With every day that passed, there was a new letter from her as she began to tell him about her life since he'd last heard from her. Steve had stopped speaking to him, and after a week, he'd even stopped knocking to deliver her letters, choosing instead to slide them under his door. Bucky was actually glad that he didn't have to face the eyebrows of disappointment everyday, even if it did mean he had no one to talk to.

As he learned more about her, he realized just how truly amazing she was, and he knew beyond a doubt that he didn't deserve her. It didn't mean that he didn't want her, he just knew it would be selfish of him to steal anymore of her life than he already had. A part of him wanted to write back to her, but he was scared it would only encourage her to keep holding out hope that he would change his mind.

With every letter, he felt his resolve begin to fade. She was a stubborn woman, and she didn't seem like the type to give up without a fight. He acknowledged her tenacity, and it was then that he realized that she was basically the female version of his best friend. Realizing that fact, he understood what had drawn him to her in the first place – from her very first letter she'd been a force to be reckoned with and he'd always admired someone who would stand their ground in the face of adversity.

After two weeks, he finally gave in and sought her out. It wasn't until he'd left his room that he realized he had no idea what she looked like. Steve had tried to show him a picture of her when he'd first told him about her, but Bucky had been too angry to actually look at the photo before he tossed Steve's phone across the room. Now he was standing in the middle of the palace complex feeling like a fool.

A sea of faces were starting at him and Bucky didn't know if any of them were hers. He'd never thought about what she might look like – she could be white, black, Asian, or any other nationality in the world. He didn't really care what she looked like, he only knew he had to find her – he had to tell her how he felt about her.

The crowd parted and there she was. Bucky wasn't sure how he recognized her, but in that moment, he knew in his soul that the woman staring at him from across the courtyard was YN. She was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined, and he was so in awe of her that he couldn't move.

YN couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Bucky slowly turning circles in the palace courtyard. He looked completely lost, and for a moment she hoped that he was looking for her. She shook her head as she dispelled her wishful thinking. How could he be looking for her? As far as she knew, he'd never even seen a picture of her.

Then he spotted her, and she knew from the look in his eye that it had been her he was looking for in the crowd. He seemed to be frozen in place, so she willed herself to not to run towards him, but took slow and careful steps so she wouldn't spook him.

"Hi," she said when she finally gotten close enough to speak.

"Hi," he answered, his gaze raking over her as he tried to memorize every feature.

"You changed your mind?"

"I realized that you were never going to stop stalking me until I actually spoke to you face to face," Bucky said with a slight smirk on his face.

YN's eyes grew wide in shock until she realized that he was teasing her. "Oh, that's how it's going to be, huh?"

"You wanted the boy from Brooklyn," he answered as a smile spread across his face.

"I don't care where you're from, and I don't care what you've done, I just want you," she told him as she held out a hand to him.

He looked down at her hand for a moment, and in one swift movement, he grabbed it and pulled her into his arms. "You've got me now. What do you plan to do with me?"

She framed his face with her hands as she pulled him closer to her. "I've had years to imagine all the possibilities."

"Well, then," he said as he brushed his lips across hers, "let's not waste anymore time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 2 of this mini-series! I hope you enjoyed this extremely long mini-series!  I played around with so many different ways to bring the two of them together, but I think this version is the best.  I know there's a lot of controversy surrounding Steve and Sharon, but I tried to stay as true to the MCU as possible - I did add my own little take on the situation if you happened to catch that!  Do you agree with Steve's decision to keep the Reader out of the fight in Germany?  Did you like how I tied the letters back in at the ending?  For my Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans, you know what happens with Bobbi and Hunter, but for those of you who don't watch the show, rest assured that I didn't forget about her friend.  Bobbi and Hunter end up working with Agent Coulson and due to events too long and complicated to go into in this note, they are forced to disavow themselves and severe all ties with S.H.I.E.L.D.  (At least they're supposed to!) I look forward to your comments!_

**Author's Note:**

> _Thank you for reading Part 1 of this mini-series!  The Lake House is one of my favorite movies and I've been meaning to write this story for ages!  I wanted it to be a short mini-series, but as you can see, Part 1 is over 6,000 words!  I'll warn you now, Part 2 is even longer!!  Even if you haven't seen the movie, it's pretty obvious how this is all going to play out in the end, but I hope you enjoy the journey!  What did you think of their "date?"  Wasn't it the sweetest?  I took a few liberties with the stops on the tour. Most of it is accurate, but I did add in the carousel (which is actually there now), and the diner. How do you think she and Bucky are going to reconnect in the next part?  I look forward to your comments!_


End file.
